5 veterans who are taking the startup world by storm

Folks, my team and I have been highlighting a lot of important startups and vets recently, and we thought it'd be a good idea to merge the two. We reached out to the community on Facebook and Twitter, and compiled a list of 5 veteran-founded startups who really have their boots on the ground.

5 Veterans Who Are Taking the Startup World by Storm (in no particular order):

Kristina Carmen, Founder of TurboPup.(TurboPup isn't on Twitter, but you can find them on Facebook.)TurboPup was founded to create a sustainable and socially conscious business, and give back to causes in support of our four legged best friends and our country's heroes: Veterans.

Jacob Wood & William McNulty, Co-founders of Team Rubicon. Follow @TeamRubiconTeam Rubicon is a group of military veterans and medical professionals irrevocably committed to changing veteran reintegration and disaster response.

Blake Hall and Matt Thompson, Co-founders of ID.me.Follow @idme
ID.me is a secure digital ID card that allows individuals to prove their identity online. Using ID.me, online shoppers can attach attributes of their identity, such as military service or student status, to a Single Sign On so they can quickly verify to any third party that they are who they say they are. The site offers exclusive benefits and discounts for military folks and vets all in one place. ID.me was founded by 2 Army Rangers who made a long-term commitment to the military and veteran community.

Chris Hulls and Alex Haro, Co-founders of Life360.Follow @Life360
Life360 is a free smartphone app that helps keep families and close friends connected stay in sync throughout their busy day. With Life360, you can see where your family and friends are on a private map, stay in touch with group and one-on-one messaging, and get help in an emergency.

Dawn Halfaker, Founder of Halfaker and Associates, and President of Wounded Warrior Project.Follow @halfaker
Halfaker and Associates provides professional services and technology solutions to the federal government. According to HuffPo, this "allows Halfaker to fight on two fronts: She helps equip on-the-ground troops to fight missions and helps U.S. veterans fight unemployment."

If you're able, please support and follow these vets and their startups. And, I'd love to hear what veterans should make version 2.0 of this list. Please leave comments below.

4 Comments

Craig — hats off to you for this entry. These folks are amazing. But you forgot one… Fred Wellman, founder of ScoutComms. Fred's organization is a B-Corp that focuses exclusively on helping veteran organizations create awareness of their good work, and helping corporations establish vet-focused programs that help veterans access both social and employment opportunities.

Ditto on Rallypoint. The site connects active duty and vets in a way that makes sense and allows them to build their careers both inside and outside the military. Founded by vets Yinon Weiss and Aaron Kletzing.

My company, The Value Of a Veteran, is a 100% veteran-, woman and minority-owned services firm with 3 divisions, all of which facilitate a veteran's successful transition to employment, education or entrepreneurship after the military.

1. The Value Of a Veteran has been educating employers since 2007 on how to recruit and retain veterans. We also work with colleges (support for student veterans), government agencies and franchise systems seeking to provide veterans with small business opportunities. We have worked with many Fortune 1000 companies to help them develop strong, effective military recruitment and retention programs. (@ValueOfaVeteran)

2. Military Transition Advisors (est 2013) offers transitioning military, veterans and spouses information on topics related to employment, education or entrepreneurship after the military through the use of a network of subject matter experts via live web seminars